Parma show their best, worst, and all that's to come in opening-day draw with flawed Fiorentina
STADIO ENNIO TARDINI (Parma): On their return to Serie A after three seasons in the second tier, Parma were left regretting missed chances as they drew 1-1 at home against a poor Fiorentina on Matchday 1 of the new 2024/25 season.
Dennis Man's 23rd-minute goal opened the scoring, and there was plenty on show - good and bad - that will likely prove to be signs of what is to come between now and January for Fabio Pecchia's side.
Against a Fiorentina clearly lacking point of reference at the back after Nikola Milenkovic's departure this summer, the hosts were faced with the freedom of the Tardini to try to trouble Pietro Terracciano in goal, but familiar problems showed themselves again.
Valentin Mihaila missed two sitters seconds apart inside the opening five minutes, something he is too often guilty of despite looking electric up until taking aim. And Man, despite his fine opener, was careless in possession in dangerous positions.
Parma's Romanian duo will thrill, but...
In Man and Mihaila, Parma have two players capable of getting any Serie A fan on their feet. Equally, though, they have had and will continue to have regulars in the Curva Nord pulling their hair out in frustration.
Mihaila is lightning-quick, but his decision-making in the final third is consistently that of a player far below his ability. He shoots when he shouldn't, often looking like he's trying to put more power in the ball than is needed, and finds the stands instead of coming even close to troubling goal, or he overlooks teammates better placed to finish off a chance.
Man, meanwhile, has a deceptive movement and a control of the ball that any attack-minded player in Serie A would be pleased with, but it often presents itself as complacency and carelessness in risky positions - almost leading to an early Fiorentina goal on Matchday 1.
Parma's need for a clinical edge in attack
Man and Mihaila themselves are good examples of a wider concern at Parma this season, and that is their lack of a composed figure in and around the box who will convert more chances than they miss. Ange-Yoan Bonny is a fantastic frontman, and has a lot to give to the Gialloblu, but the No.13 would be twice as valuable if those either side of him were more reliable when it came to putting opportunities away.
With all the space that Fiorentina's open defence left in front of them, there was a real opportunity for Parma to build up a more comfortable lead than the one-goal cushion they carried into half time. And with more than 20,000 fans watching on at the Tardini, the Viola would have had a long way back from two behind.
With Cristiano Biraghi having levelled things up with a trademark freekick, Parma were made to rue those first-half misses. But only Mihaila's fourth-minute effort over the crossbar could come close to what Wylan Cyprien was guilty of when he somehow dragged wide in the dying moments when clean through on Terracciano's goal.
Parma, then, look like they'll be a fun watch for neutrals through 2024/25, but their Serie A opener and last week's Coppa Italia loss to Palermo shows that something more is needed in the final third.